Ithaca: The Big Picture
Ithaca is a very unique school. The vibe that I get from myself along with most other students is that we are all here for the experience. We all want to do as much stuff as we can before our time at IC is over. This isn't just social things, but school. All of the professors I have worked with are all about getting actual, hands-on experience. From communication classes to outdoor recreation we spend as little time in a classroom as possible. The professors really listen to what you want and what you want to gain from each class. The city of Ithaca is amazing and has a personality all its own. There is always something to do and new people to meet. Being in the same town as Cornell, if Ithaca campus is too boring there is always something going on either at Cornell or downtown. More people go to the Ithaca v. Cortland football game than Homecoming, and if you hang around Ithaca for the summer it will totally morph and become an even cooler town that you are proud to be from.
Ithaca Academic Life
All of my professors now only know me by my name, but they remember me for years later. I have had so much hands-on experience now and have learned so much more through those experiences than anything else. I had a chance to study for an entire semester off-campus travelling around the country for my major and it was the best experience of my life. I think that the most common negative thing I have seen is a lack of passion for doing well. Most of the students here seem to feel that it is more important to have a great experience than get good grades. Not necessarily a bad thing!
Ithaca's Student Body
I feel like a lot of the students here are very seperated from each other. There are lots of cliques that form friendships and those stay that way for a long time. The friendships that are made however, hold strong from freshman year on. I can't think of a single person that could possibly feel out of place at Ithaca. There are lots of students who are very liberal, and a few that are very conservative. Those in the middle usually end up on the left, and the conflicts between the parties are VERY entertaining! Friends seem to talk a lot more about the things they are doing outside of sitting in a classroom a lot more than their actual classes and grades.
Ithaca Student Activities + Social Life
The cliques on campus form the popular groups. Once you have your group or team or major those people tend to be your friends forever. If you are awake at 2am on a Tuesday you are goofing off with your roomates being too loud in the halls, but thats ok because everyone else is still up too. Every single night is like a slumber party. There are people to party with and people to stay in with every weekend, without fail. There is tons to do off campus and you learn about new things all of the time, straight through senior year.
Ithaca Naked Truth
I love Ithaca. I love the campus and the view of the lake. Although you make friends within your own social group there is always the ability to branch out and make new friends. Every day has the ability to be great and that is helped with an awesome campus and awesome professors that care much more about the students than anything else they are doing.
